Question:
Does Monterey County have a spot where I can commune with nature while getting in touch with my literary side?
Answer:
The Henry Miller Library in Big Sur is just a magical place altogether. It’s the kind of place you can literally come and put down your daily concerns and hang out and enjoy being around such incredible nature.
— Garland Thompson, Pacific Grove’s Poet in Residence
Writer and artist Henry Miller lived in Big Sur from 1944 to 1962. After Miller's death, his friend Emil White converted his home into the "Henry Miller Memorial Library, Founded by Emil White".
Though it has books and wireless Internet access, in most ways The Henry Miller Library is very different from most people's idea of what a library should be like. It's nestled in the middle of a redwood grove. It doesn't loan books. It has a sculpture garden. Employees don't tell noisy people to "ssh!," at least not when they're performing artists like Laurie Anderson, Neil Young, Patti Smith and her Band, Loudon Wainwright III, Dan Bern, Dar Williams, Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins, all of whom have held concerts at the Library.
The Library doesn't just serve national acts. It is also an important gathering spot for the Big Sur community, with an open mic night every Wednesday, film festivals and gallery shows. It is the site of frequent workshops for visual artists, writers and musicians.
The staff of the Library always keeps a pot of hot coffee on. Stop in, grab a cup of Joe, buy one of Henry Miller's works, and enjoy the landscape that inspired him to write The Rosy Crucifixion trilogy and Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch.
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau P.O. Box 1770, Monterey, CA 93942 1-877-MONTEREY info@mccvb.org
In partnership with Monterey County and the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas,
Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, Pebble Beach, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Salinas Valley.
© Copyright 2009 Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
